While the overhead canopy that shaded the rooftop sitting area was crushed by huge falling branches, the resilient containers escaped unharmed - yet another example of shipping container architecture impressing us with its versatility and durability.

Earth Science Australia‘s team built the rainforest research center using two 6m (20′) containers placed 3m (10′) apart. Leaving a space between the containers allows for a semi-enclosed area for storage, hanging out or doing research. There is a total of 30sqm of dry sleeping area, 15sqm of mostly dry cooking area and 45sqm of covered outdoor area. Believe it or not, the entire project, including the containers, trucking the containers some 500km, screening in the cargo doors, steel, cement, sand and gravel, nuts, bolts, carports, C-section, screens, timber, decking oil and painting cost only $16,000 AUS.

Despite being located in a dense rainforest that gets heavy rain on the regular, the research center stays dry as a bone inside (well maybe not that dry, but you know what we mean). But when Cyclone Larry swept through the area, the center was really put to the test. While the overhead canopy that shaded the rooftop sitting area was crushed by huge falling branches, the resilient containers escaped unharmed – yet another example of shipping container architecture impressing us with its versatility and durability.

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4 Comments

john simmisNovember 16, 2010 at 2:29 pm

If you are considering modular or prefab home, or looking for an alternative to high cost construction, building with recycled shipping containers is worth taking a look at. There are many considerations that have contributed to the appeal of building with intermodal shipping containers – availability, standardization, the recycled/green factor, economy and speed of construction, their durability, and even their “elegance/grace”.

Good resource is the Residential Shipping Container Primer website. A SHOWCASE OF SHIPPING CONTAINER HOMES AND BUILDINGDS, AND A DO IT YOURSELF (DIY) REFERENCE FOR CONVERTING RECYCLED INTERMODAL CARGO SHIPPING CONTAINERS INTO BUILDINGS AND ARCHITECTURE.

Lots of great example buildings, details, facts, and links to other articles. They have something new that you can setup your own project wiki to get help with your project if you are considering a design build project.

In response to frog3d, check out http://www.shippingcontainerforum.com for more info on building with containers. We’re trying to create an online community of people who have or are planning to modify and repurpose shipping containers for other uses. I’m going to post a link to this article on there now…

boxpertOctober 25, 2010 at 10:07 am

@frog3d We’ve build homes out of shipping containers. Not as daunting as it seems. We’ve got alot of free info / instructions on our blog. May be a good resource for you.

frog3dOctober 21, 2010 at 12:18 pm

I’d like to do some building with shipping containers, but it’s rather daunting. Is there anything on the internet by people who have used them, with some sort of instructions?